08/01/2014Jumping the Job Track ), Henry L. Roediger (James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor of Psychology, Washington Univ. in St. Louis), and Mark A. McDaniel (psychology, director of the Ctr. for Integrative Research on Cognition, Learning, and Education, Washington Univ. in St. Louis) challenge traditional ideas about learning in this survey of cognitive studies. The authors contend that, contrary to popular belief, effective long-term learning doesn't occur through passive and repeated exposure to information. Rather, learners can best acquire knowledge by actively recalling information and connecting it to their own experience. Brown, Roediger, and McDaniel enumerate principles for improving learning, but they couch these ideas in narrative, including personal anecdotes and case studies that demonstrate each point. The authors provide suggestions to students, adult learners, and trainers who may wish to implement new techniques in instruction. All the while, they demonstrate their own principles by reiterating key concepts, building associations, and interweaving topics throughout the book. Instructors and students will find that this title not only describes cognitive principles in general terms but also provides specific examples of study techniques and methods for constructing more effective courses. VERDICT This book will appeal to high school and college students as well as educators, trainers, and anyone interested in improving memory or having a better understanding of cognitive science.—Talea Anderson, College Place, WA
A highly engaging and accessible text that neatly provides the reader with both a thorough grounding in the empirical and theoretical work on durable learning, while also offering specific, actionable recommendations for immediate implementation.
Currents in Teaching and Learning - Kathryn E. Frazier
This is a quite remarkable book. It describes important research findings with startling implications for how we can improve our own learning, teaching, and coaching. Even more, it shows us how more positive attitudes toward our own abilities—and the willingness to tackle the hard stuff—enables us to achieve our goals. The compelling stories bring the ideas out of the lab and into the real world.
Learning is essential and life-long. Yet as these authors argue convincingly, people often use exactly the wrong strategies and don't appreciate the ones that work. We’ve learned a lot in the last decade about applying cognitive science to real-world learning, and this book combines everyday examples with clear explanations of the research. It’s easy to read—and should be easy to learn from, too!
If you want to read a lively and engaging book on the science of learning, this is a must… Make It Stick benefits greatly from its use of stories about people who have achieved mastery of complex knowledge and skills. Over the course of the book, the authors weave together stories from an array of learners—surgeons, pilots, gardeners, and school and university students—to illustrate their arguments about how successful learning takes place… This is a rich and resonant book and a pleasurable read that will leave you pondering the processes through which you, and your students, acquire new knowledge and skills.
Times Higher Education - Hazel Christie
Aimed primarily at students, parents, and teachers, Make It Stick also offers practical advice for learners of all ages, at all stages of life… With its credible challenge to conventional wisdom, Make It Stick does point the way forward, with a very real prospect of tangible and enduring benefits.
Psychology Today - Glenn C. Altschuler
If I could, I would assign all professors charged with teaching undergraduates one book: Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning … It lays out what we know about the science of learning in clear, accessible prose. Every educator—and parent, and student, and professional—ought to have it on their own personal syllabus.
For a deeper dig into the science of learning, make sure to pick up Make It Stick . It’s an illuminating read.
Business Insider - Drake Baer
Many educators are interested in making use of recent findings about the human brain and how we learn… Make It Stick [is] the single best work I have encountered on the subject. Anyone with an interest in teaching or learning will benefit from reading this book, which not only presents thoroughly grounded research but does so in an eminently readable way that is accessible even to students.
Chronicle of Higher Education - James M. Lang
Presents a compelling case for why we are attracted to the wrong strategies for learning and teaching—and what we can do to remedy our approaches… In clear language, Make It Stick explains the science underlying how people learn. But the authors don’t simply recite the research; they show readers how it is applied in real-life learning scenarios, with engaging stories of real people in academic, professional, and sports environments… The learning strategies proposed in this book can be implemented immediately, at no cost, and to great effect… Make It Stick will help you become a much more productive learner.
TD Magazine - Stephanie Castellano
Make It Stick benefits greatly from its use of stories about people who have achieved mastery of complex knowledge and skills. Over the course of the book, the authors weave together stories from an array of learners—surgeons, pilots, gardeners, and school and university students—to illustrate their arguments about how successful learning takes place… This is a rich and resonant book and a pleasurable read that will leave you pondering the processes through which you, and your students, acquire new knowledge and skills.Make It Stick [is] the single best work I have encountered on the subject. Anyone with an interest in teaching or learning will benefit from reading this book, which not only presents thoroughly grounded research but does so in an eminently readable way that is accessible even to students.Make It Stick also offers practical advice for learners of all ages, at all stages of life… With its credible challenge to conventional wisdom, Make It Stick does point the way forward, with a very real prospect of tangible and enduring benefits.Make It Stick explains the science underlying how people learn. But the authors don’t simply recite the research; they show readers how it is applied in real-life learning scenarios, with engaging stories of real people in academic, professional, and sports environments… The learning strategies proposed in this book can be implemented immediately, at no cost, and to great effect… Make It Stick will help you become a much more productive learner.Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning … It lays out what we know about the science of learning in clear, accessible prose. Every educator—and parent, and student, and professional—ought to have it on their own personal syllabus.The Seven Sins of Memory Make It Stick . It’s an illuminating read.
A lot of what we think we know about learning is wrong, according to 10 years of research carried out by a team of 11 cognitive psychologists. Written by a professional storyteller, this audiobook flows with melodic sentences that are made even more appealing to hear by narrator Qarie Marshall. His effortless-sounding articulation and broad phrasing palette make this a production that listeners can warm up to while they’re absorbing what science tells us about optimal learning. Among the findings is that retention is higher when repetition is deliberate and spaced, and when new information is offered in a variety of contexts and interspersed among lessons on disparate topics. More than aphoristic tips, these are powerful strategies, sometimes counterintuitive, that are already revolutionizing training and education in a variety of realms. T.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine
